Three things we learned from Red Sox' 8-2 loss to Yankees

1) Diminished velocity is a big factor in Price's struggles.

Price is ordinarily 93-95 mph with his fastball, but this season, he's been more 90-92 mph.

That may not sound like much, but even a tick or two can make a big difference. For one thing, it's cuts down on his potential margin for error. It's a lot easier to get away with mislocating a pitch when it's 95-96 mph than one that's thrown 90-91 mph.

For another, better velocity on his fastball by definition improves Price's changeup, which is arguably his best pitch. The bigger gap that exists between a fastball and changeup, the tougher the changeup appears to hitters.

On Saturday, Price went to his breaking stuff a little more to compensate for the reduced fastball velocity.

Everyone -- Price, manager John Farrell and pitching coach Carl Willis -- expressed certitude that the velocity will get better. But it's getting harder and harder to maintain that it's dipped because we're in the first month. On Monday, the season will be five weeks old.

"He's a smart guy, knows how to pitch,'' assured pitching coach Carl Willis. "It's just a matter of getting that stuff back.''

2) Price insisted that he hasn't lost his confidence, but that didn't appear to be the case post-game.

Interviewed at his locker, Price was downcast, answering questions in a quiet voice. He repeatedly used the same phrases and found himself saying that he has to execute better, that he has to get better, that he knows that he's better than he's shown.

Maybe Price sincerely believes that. But his body language and demeanor suggested that he feels a little lost on the mound.

Price has pitched in the big leagues for nearly seven full seasons and has achieved great results in the past. But it's more than a little disconcerting that he can't pinpoint what's wrong with his season.

He can study all the video he wants, and throw all the side sessions in between. But beyond knowing that he needs to make adjustments -- and not simply "get better'' as he repeatedly vowed to do Saturday -- it's difficult to know how to improve unless you know what's wrong in the first place.

3) The big inning continues to be an issue for Price.

In most of Price's sub-par starts this season, he's been victimized by multi-run innings that seem to roll downhill for him quickly.

It happened again Saturday, when there was some bad luck involved. In the fourth inning, when the Yankees scored twice, Price appeared to have Dustin Ackley struck out on a 2-2 pitch. But that pitch, and then another, was called a ball as Ackley walked.

After a flyout, Didi Gregorius then cleared the bases by golfing a pitch an inch or two off the ground.

Add up a missed pitch by an umpire and factor in a hitter putting a ball in play on a good, tough pitch, and suddenly, the Yankees were up 4-1.

But not all of it has been circumstantial. As both Farrell and Carl Willis noted, Price seems to currently lack the ability to put hitters away. Perhaps that's the result of the diminished velocity.

There are times, too, when Price doesn't seem aggressive enough. On his first three walks Saturday, Price was ahead 1-2 to all three batters, but eventually lost them by giving them a free pass.